According to Helping Hands Home Care: “Caring for another person can be physically and mentally demanding, and much more than purely handling the day-to-day tasks. Especially when caring for long periods at a time, the emotional strain can take its toll. Respite care is there to provide your main carer with a respite while ensuring your care needs are met.”

There are many, many unpaid carers out there; people who care for their loved ones every day. It is essential that these people get some time to themselves sometimes. Whether they need time to go to appointments, have a day off, or, indeed, take a couple of weeks off to go on holiday, it is important that there are people around who can fill in for this time, allowing carers to take some respite on a short-term basis.

This is the job of a respite carer; they go into the person’s home to fulfil the duties of their regular carer whilst they are on respite leave.

Who you will support

As a respite carer, you could be brought in to cover respite for anybody who uses a carer. This could be anyone from an elderly person who needs some regular company, to someone who is in palliative care, a person living with dementia, or a young person who needs some extra support.

Respite care will normally consist of live-in full-time care, home visiting care – perhaps several times a day or maybe a few times each week – or working in a day centre.

Duties performed by a respite carer

As a respite carer, you would normally be required to carry out the duties that are normally done by the person’s regular carer. The duties depend on the particular needs of the customer, but these can include:

·       Helping with personal hygiene and continence

·       Assisting with dressing

·       Carrying out light housework

·       Cooking healthy and nutritious meals

·       Taking the customer out to medical appointments or social gatherings

·       Helping to administer medication

·       Providing company and companionship

Respite care plans

When a carer comes in to supply respite care, it is advised that you are given a respite care plan. Likewise, if you are a regular carer who is going to be taking some respite, you should also prepare a respite care plan for the person who will be coming to fill in for you. A respite care plan is a detailed report that stipulates the details around the care that needs to be provided.

A care plan will usually comprise a series of instructions and documents that gives the respite carer information such as the medical details that they need, emergency information, personal routine details, as well as information about the person’s interests and hobbies.

Medical details

Medication should be left in its original packaging as much as possible. Dosages and times when it is taken should be supplied, giving general and detailed information about the medicine’s administration. Names and contact details for doctors should also be supplied as well as any food or drug allergies or other important medical information.

This is also where the details around medical aids are kept, such as where they can be found. These are items such as hearing aids, spare batteries and spare eyeglasses.

Emergency information

Emergency contact details should also be included in the respite care plan, includingthe name of the emergency contact, as well as  addresses and contact telephone numbers. There should also be information outlining any emergency procedures (including evacuation information) and details of local emergency services – hospitals, doctors, A&E departments, and any other information relating to emergencies.

Personal routine

In the personal routine section, there should be information relating to specific personal details that are relevant to the carer. This can include timings for activities such as waking, sleeping and eating. There should also be information relating to mood changes, any noticeable changes in energy levels, and activities that they will need help with, such as walking, getting dressed or personal care, for example.

The personal routine information should also include suggestions of food that they like or dislike, and can even include details down to how the person being cared for takes their tea or coffee.

Interests and hobbies

In the interests and hobbies section, there should be suggestions of what the person enjoys doing. This could include activities such as reading, going for walks, listening to music or chatting with family, for example.

For carers and those who are being cared for, respite time is vitally important. It can, however, be daunting for people who are being cared for to have a different carer come in, so it is crucial that you find a respite carer who can work with your loved one and gain their trust.